Nissan's Quest, which shares components and general features with its
production line twin, the Mercury Villager, is among the most car-like of
minivans. It has car-like driving features and ride, car-like comfort, and
compact car-like performance.

This isn't to say that the Quest is a poor performing vehicle, it's just
that with its shape and componentry, you really can't expect it to be a high
performance vehicle. Still, Nissan claims a 0-60 time of 11.4 seconds, which
isn't bad. We felt confident with the Quest whenever we entered highways from
exit ramps, for example, which is one of the most severe tests of a vehicles
performance.

When you sit in the Quest you're going to feel instantly comfortable.
There is none of the "tunnel effect" of the old GM minivans, for example, and
the view out the front is comprehensive. You sit high, as you do in most
minivans, and this seating position gives you a good view of the road and a
feeling of safety.

Adding to the safety feel are dual air bags and ABS, as well as seat belts
for everyone. We tested the Quest in the winter, when there were "surprise"
patches of ice on the road. I call them surprise patches, because you may not
see them, but the car's ABS does. You can be going along and want to stop and
even though you weren't concentrating, the car's ABS chatter tells you that
there was ice below the tires.

A nice feature on the Quest was cruise control and sound system controls
on the steering wheel. They weren't in the way, so that I didn't keep changing
the station or the volume every time I made a hard turn, as is the case with
some of these controls. Once you learn where the controls are you can use them
without having to look. There's a good feel to them so you can easily learn
where the location of each switch is.

For the 1997 model year, Quest has new front and rear bumper fascias, new
body side molding, front headlights, grille and running lamps, as well as new
taillights and wheel treatments. Inside, there's a new instrument panel, new
door trim panels, additional storage in the third seat position and 20-ounce
cupholders. I also liked the extra power outlet on the dash which allows for
cell phone or laptop computer use when you're on the road.

Our tester had seating for as many as eight passengers, with three rows of
seats. The problem was though, that with all the seats in use there's very
little carrying capacity behind the rear seat. The GXE adds a luggage rack on
top, but one of the advantages of a van is that you're supposed to be able to
carry everything inside. Twenty-four different seating configurations are
possible in the GXE. The second row seats can be folded down into a table or
completely removed, while the third row can also be folded into a table, folded
up for increased cargo space, or slid forward to the back of the driver's seat
for the maximum storage capacity. The second row of seats offers an integrated
child seat, if your kiddies are that size. Ours are too big.

All in all, the Quest is a decent package. It suffers somewhat by the
lack of a rear door on the driver's side, but our spies tell us one will be
available in the 1999 model year (at least on the Villager). Other than this
minor inconvenience (and it is an inconvenience one you've used minis with the
doors), the Quest is probably the best import nameplate minivan.